Applying the CSDM guidelines to Service Portfolio Management

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Applying the CSDM guidelines to Service Portfolio Management

    Service Portfolio Management in ServiceNow leverages the Common Service Data Model (CSDM) framework to unify service-related data across different applications into a consolidated view. This alignment helps organizations effectively manage and understand services throughout their lifecycle by using consistent terms and fields that integrate smoothly with both Service Portfolio Management and Digital Portfolio Management (DPM) applications.

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    Installing the CSDM activation plugin enables the use of standardized lifecycle fields, improving consistency and synchronization across ServiceNow modules.

    Key Features

    • CSDM Lifecycle Fields: After activating the CSDM plugin, users can access lifecycle stage and status fields in Service Portfolio Management to track services end-to-end. These fields replace traditional phase and status fields, ensuring alignment with CSDM standards and enabling better analytics and reporting.
    • Service Lifecycle Mapping: Lifecycle stages such as Ideation, Design, Deploy, Operational, and Retired correspond to traditional portfolio phases like Pipeline, Catalog, and End of Life, facilitating clear tracking of service progress.
    • Common CSDM Terminology: The framework standardizes key terms used in portfolio management and DPM, including:
      • Portfolio: Grouping of services, products, or projects by business objectives or capabilities.
      • Business Capability: High-level organizational abilities required to achieve business outcomes.
      • Service Types: Business, Technical, and Application services, each with distinct roles and target consumers.
      • Service Catalog and Offerings: Structured views of available services and their packaging, enabling users and service owners to access and select services appropriately.
      • Service Commitment: Defined obligations and performance levels agreed between providers and consumers, often formalized through agreements.
      • Configuration Items (CIs) and Assets: Infrastructure components tracked for configuration and financial value, respectively.
      • Operating Model: Visual representation of how an organization delivers value, encompassing strategy, automation, and delivery models.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Improved consistency and alignment of service data across Service Portfolio Management and Digital Portfolio Management applications.
    • Enhanced ability to manage the entire lifecycle of services with standardized lifecycle stages and statuses.
    • Clearer understanding and usage of common service management terms, facilitating communication and governance.
    • Better integration with ServiceNow Service Catalog and performance analytics through standardized lifecycle data.
    • Support for financial tracking and configuration management via assets and configuration items aligned with CSDM.

    Service data relates to each other using different applications in different ways. Service Portfolio Management references the Common Service Data Model (CSDM) framework to bring service-related data together in a single view.

    Since both ServiceNow® products of Service Portfolio Management and Digital Portfolio Management (DPM) closely align with the CSDM, it's helpful to know the common terms and life-cycle fields when working in these applications.
    Tip:
    For CSDM set-up information, see Implementing the CSDM framework in stages.

    CSDM life-cycle fields for business and technical services

    After the CSDM activation plugin is installed [com.snc.cmdb.csdm.activation], you can use the CSDM life-cycle fields in Service Portfolio Management. To see the field names, navigate to All > Service Portfolio Management > Services, and set the view to Service Portfolio.

    Using the CSDM life-cycle fields helps you manage the end-to-end life cycle of services and service offerings. The shared field names provide you with consistency and alignment as you use other ServiceNow applications. For more information about the CSDM, see Enabling CSDM life-cycle sync between legacy fields and related assets.

    The following comparison shows the differences from the traditional Service Portfolio Management phase and status fields to the CSDM life-cycle stage and status fields.

    These fields also display when you use the Performance Analytics (PA) indicators.
    Table 1. Service table [cmdb_ci_service] mapping of Service Portfolio Management and CSDM
    Service Portfolio Management Phase and Status field names CSDM life-cycle Stage and life-cycle Status field names
    Pipeline | Requirements Ideation | Under evaluation
    Pipeline | Definition Ideation | Under evaluation
    Pipeline | Analysis Ideation | Under evaluation
    Pipeline | Approved Ideation | Under evaluation
    Pipeline| Chartered Design | Chartered
    Catalog| Design Design | Design
    Catalog | Development Design | Design
    Catalog | Build/Test/Release Deploy | Test
    Catalog | Operational Operational | In-use
    Catalog | Retiring Operational | Pending Retirement
    Retired | Retired End of life | Retired
    Retired | Obsolete End of life | Obsolete

    Common CSDM terms used in Service Portfolio Management and in DPM

    Table 2. Common CSDM terms used in Service Portfolio Management and in DPM
    Term Definition Notes
    Portfolio Collection of services, products, projects, or applications. Used to manage like items together for a business. Portfolios may be grouped by objective, capabilities, organization, like projects or services.
    Business capability High-level capability that an organization requires to execute its business model or fulfill its mission. Typically described in the context of performing one or more specific tasks to achieve business outcomes. For example, demand management or financial planning.
    Service Means of delivering value to customers by facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks. Typically has three aspects:
    • Interaction
    • Offering
    • Service system
    ServiceNow provides three base service types:
    • Business
    • Technical
    • Application

    Customers can extend the base types to align with the service types in their organization.
    Business service A service type that is published to business users and it typically underpins one or more business capabilities. Typically orderable by business users. Business users are able to select the desired offering and service commitment levels via the ServiceNow Service Catalog. For example, procurement, shipping, and finance.
    Technical service A service type that is published to service owners and typically underpins a business or application service. Typically orderable by service owners. Service owners are able to select the desired offering and service commitment levels via the Service Catalog. For example, computers, storage, and networks).
    Application service A service type that is a logical representation of a deployed application stack. Examples of application services are hosting, data backup, and recovery.
    Note:
    There isn’t a 1-to-1 relationship between application and application services.
    Application Any deployed program, module, or group of programs that is designed to provide specific functionality on a computer infrastructure. Defines behavior and has specific functionality associated with it. Applications are typically discoverable functionality, like Apache Web Server.
    Business Application Represents all software and infrastructure environments (dev, test, prod) configured to provide functionality. Used to increase productivity and perform other business functions accurately. For example, Dell Online.
    Service catalog Provides a consumable view of available products, services, service commitment options, and offerings.

    Helps manage what services a user may have access to. Also, catalogs are the initiation point for access to available services. For example, the IT services catalog.
    Service offering A stratification of a service into capability, availability, pricing, and packaging options. Different levels of performance and features for a given service can be made available. For example, ITSM Standard and ITSM Pro.
    Service commitment Defines service delivery obligations agreed to between the consumer and the provider. Often manifested in the form of contracts such as service level agreements, operational level agreements, and underpinning contracts. Service commitments include specific performance characteristics that differentiate one offering from another.
    Configuration item (CI) Physical and logical components of an infrastructure that are currently or soon will be under configuration management.

    A single module such as a server, database, or router or a more complex item, such as a complete system. For example, a web server, database, or infrastructure.
    Asset An item whose financial value is tracked. Many assets are CIs and vice versa, but that's not always the case. Assets have a life cycle with financial considerations, for example Microsoft Office 365.
    Operating model An abstract and ideally visual representation (model) of how an organization delivers value to its customers or beneficiaries. Typically represents the various elements of how an organization operates. It usually incorporates strategy positions such as the innovation model, degree of intelligent automation, industry alignment, provider delivery models, and the business expectations of IT.